Storytelling: The Modern Marketer's Greatest Yet Most Dangerous Tool
Storytelling: The Modern Marketer's Greatest Yet Most Dangerous Tool
Storytelling: The Modern Marketer's Greatest Yet Most Dangerous Tool
Giovanni Rodriguez
Introduction
In the summer of 2017, I launched a series of articles on
Forbes.com about the art, science, and ethics of story-
Giovanni Rodriguez is CEO and telling (Rodriguez 2017b). The objective of the series: to
cofounder of The Silicon Valley Story
share key insights gathered from my studies and work
Lab, a media and content-strategy
consulting firm that advises the in the field with clients in both civic and commercial
Fortune 500, global NGOs, and leading arenas. At the time of the launch, I regarded each of the
technology startups. Among other articles as building blocks for a curriculum on what I’ve
services, the Lab provides storytelling come to regard as the modern marketer’s greatest but
training to executives, marketers, and
communications professionals, in
most dangerous communication tool.
both online and offline experiences. If the Forbes series were ever to become a full cur-
Giovanni is a regular contributor riculum, this monograph—which, in an earlier version
to Forbes where he writes about appeared as an article in the series (Rodriguez 2017a)—
his professional experiences and
would be the foundation. In fact, over the past few
pioneering communication projects.
months, my business partners and I have used drafts of
this monograph as a primer for a storytelling workshop
we have taken to businesses, agencies, and nonprofits
throughout the world. What we have learned in these
workshops—in discussions with communication profes-
sionals, marketing professionals, and executives seeking
that stories need not be factually true to technology to the enterprise market. In the
be effective as long as they resonate as late 1990s, it had found a small and prof-
emotionally truthful. That’s what makes itable niche selling its product—software
them so powerful, and dangerous. One that enabled PCs to run multiple operating
kind of danger is the power that the story systems at once—for engineers to test ap-
has to distract us from facts that don’t quite plications. VMware did that by identifying
fit the story arc. In my article about story a pretty big challenge (helping engineers
and neurochemistry, I quote a physician test applications more efficiently) and by
who describes how the brain, “seeking its providing a pretty big solution (by virtual-
dopamine reward . . . overlooks contradic- izing the standard Intel chip). But when it
tory or conflicting information whenever came time to move to the enterprise mar-
possible.” But there’s a more nefarious kind ket, where the opportunity was to revo-
of danger: the intentional use of story to lutionize the data center one Intel server
obscure facts, deny facts, and posit outright at a time, VMware had a story based on a
falsehoods. This is a clear and present bigger challenge: helping businesses every-
danger in the current era. where to save money on computing during
the economic downturn. Today, VMware
is one of the world’s largest technology
Why Businesses, in Particular, companies.
Should Love Stories: They Are
Problem/Solution Based
In professional contexts—for example, in Stories Create not Just Perceived
branding and positioning—the story-based Value but Perceived Valuation as
approach for developing “messaging” has Well
great value because of its focus on describing A related principle: Stories can help busi-
both the problem and solution the customer nesses and other organizations create
is facing. The focus is guaranteed because of value, and valuation. Again, it’s a structural
the basic structure of a story: act I (quest), thing: between act II (conflict) and act III
act II (conflict), and act III (resolution). With (resolution) is where the perceived value of
the story-based approach to positioning, the the product is created. But if the corporate
challenge for businesses shifts from decid- storyteller is a marketer inside a startup,
ing which product features to highlight, to the same exercise might help increase the
articulating the relevant problem they are perceived valuation of the company in the
solving, and how. eyes of its ultimate customer: the company
In workshops, my business partners and that will someday acquire the startup.
I have taken extra time to examine each In workshops we have conducted with
of the three components (quest, conflict, startups, we emphasize the importance
and resolution). One thing we emphasized of story-based positioning versus brand-
was the importance of truthfully sizing ing. The art and science of positioning a
each of the components, for without a good company—that is, helping to communicate
quest and a great conflict, there can be no where the company sits relative to other
meaningful (valuable) resolution. We give technology companies in its category—has
the example of a startup that I worked for emerged as a must-have competency in
in 2000, a time of great turmoil in the tech the technology world because of the sheer
industry; it was the aftermath of the first volume of competing companies. What my
major Internet bust. The startup—VMware, business partners and I have learned is that
which was then a small, little-known com- being able to tell the story about what a com-
pany operating inside a single building in pany is doing for others in the ecosystem
Silicon Valley—was about to reintroduce its (potential partners and competitors alike)